Gene Simmons on The Celebrity Apprentice

Gene Simmons seems good at multitasking. He's got KISS, his magazine "Gene Simmons' Tongue" and the reality show Family Jewels all going. Still, a stint on The Celebrity Apprentice almost took him out, as well as his other celebrity teammates and competitors.

Gene Simmons an Apprentice

"We can’t be specific, but the truth is that there was literally more than one doctor that was brought on to the set because of the physical, well, exhaustion is an easy way to say it," admitted Simmons. "My problems went farther than the end of the day shooting. We would sometimes finish at midnight, sometimes at one o’clock, and during the day cell phones are off. I can’t get to do my emails. So then you’d have to sit down and keep the plate spinning, like the guy that’s got ten plates. If you move away from one of the plates, they fall so you got to keep them all spinning. I’d have to do that in the middle of the night. It was tough."

With all of his various endeavors, The Celebrity Apprentice was not about a new job for Simmons. It was purely about testing himself. "The question is, and this is what any champion in any field will eventually have to ask himself or herself, once you’ve got enough money, once you’ve got enough fame and the glitz, and the glamour and the power, and the accoutrement of the American dream, when all the flashbulbs are gone and the girls stop kissing you, and you put the awards away and the sun comes up the next morning, and you’re there by yourself: will you get up at the crack of dawn and try to beat your own record? In other words, ultimately every champion hopefully is only in competition with themselves. I care. I want to thank Donald for giving me, personally, the opportunity to get out there, roll up my sleeves and just go for it. I mean, this was a delicious experience."

It also helped him network with his other businesses. Simmons made some connections amongst the other celebrities. "My Simmons Abramson Marketing firm is about to be hired by the Island Nation of Turks and Caicos to be their marketing branding entity. Lennox [Lewis] was talking about finding a nice home someplace where it’s private and this is paradise. So when he comes up for air and when I do because the show is not over filming yet, and we may or we may not be in the final episode, I intend to introduce him to the premiere, Michael Misick and I’m sure it’ll work out."

Don't confuse The Celebrity Apprentice with Simmons' other reality show. That is staged for the cameras. "This is not a television show. I mean, it is because you’re going to be watching it on TV, but when 15 people line up at the front line and when the gun goes off you’re in a race, you’re too busy running the race and trying to win. You’re not looking what’s my best side, better pull in my gut so I look good on TV. This is different. This is not a reality show. This is more like a news truck catching and event as it happens."